The truth about job security

With white collar workers getting laid off all over this country due to downsizing and the current presidential administration, everyone that has a job should be concerned about if they will keep their job. Normally, I would not engage in fear tactics, but this is not a tactic; it’s simply a reality. Unemployment may impact you or someone you know. You must be prepared for what’s to come and have a good game plan.

Job security has always been a myth, even before recent events. Losing a job may not have been in the forefront of our minds, but perhaps this was because we all got too comfortable. Our household experienced two layoffs in six months, highlighting that job security is no longer guaranteed for the working class. Not even if your job pretends to be ‘safe’ because of how long you have been there or how great your relationship is with your employer. At the end of the day, when cuts must be made, your employer will face this decision in a way that looks at you like an expense rather than an actual person. Like the saying goes, “It’s not personal, it’s just business.” But it is personal for you, and you are often left reeling from their decision. It’s because their decision does not just impact you but your household and sometimes the family you help outside your household. But they don’t care, they are trying to increase their bottom line. They are not taking into consideration the sacrifices you made such as missing your daughter’s awards ceremony to be at a work meeting or the overtime you put in to finish up that work project that they needed by a certain deadline even though you are salaried employee. All they care about is they are losing money and that some employees or departments must go because they are not bringing in enough revenue. They believe that offering apologies and severance packages will help alleviate our feelings about being selected for departure instead of those who were retained. However, it still hurts. We will experience a sense of loss and grief from being chosen as the employees they decided to part ways with.
​
For those of you are still in a relationship with your current employer after watching your fellow co-workers get laid off, don’t accept their reassurances. I survived six layoffs and lucky no. 7 was what did me in. I sat in countless meetings where they told me that we were safe and no need to worry. Then, there would be another layoff a few months later. And another after that. It was a vicious cycle that was never ending because the company was not profitable and did not have the best marketing strategy to bring in new business. Here’s the thing: most of us employees are not privy to our company’s financials. We don’t know the behind-the-scenes developments going on unless we are in the finance or account management department. Many of us won’t know that the company is not doing well until it’s too late. That’s why we need to operate from a place of uncertainty and always protect ourselves by preparing for whatever comes our way.

This is not to say to be constantly paranoid about your current job. But there is nothing wrong with looking at open positions in your market. You never know if there might be a better opportunity out there for you that you are missing out on because of your lack of concern for your job security. You always want to be informed about what’s out there. Remember you are just ‘dating’ your job. You should not be married to them unless your employer can 100% guarantee that they will never leave you. And since this is not a logical promise that any company can make, you should keep your options open.

There is also nothing wrong with keeping a gig on the side while you work your job since you are just dating your job. You can do something extra for money on the weekends or after business hours if you have the time or bandwidth to do so. I know plenty of people who have a full-time job and are business owners. You can sell your own products or someone else’s for additional income and then move into this full-time if you get laid off. Most people are doing this to see if their business will be profitable before leaving their full-time job but it’s still smart to do this even if you have no plans to ever quit. It can be savings you can put towards an emergency fund in case you or anyone in your household loses their job. Consider it a way to protect yourself from feeling the full brunt of a job loss if one were to occur.

The bottom line is that employees need to act more like their employers and mitigate risks. Risk assessment and aversion should be the top priority. If there have been rumblings about lay-offs coming to your industry or type of employer, ramp up your business if you have one or start your job search. You cannot control for external factors that affect your industry, but you can control what you do about it.